Memories
by Rolling Tomorrow
Summary: Certain moments spread out over fifteen years of memories are easier to recall than others.
1. Chapter 1

**Info: **30 Day OTP Challenge Day 1 – "Holding Hands"

Reaching

It didn't quite count when they were hand in hand for practical reasons. Lin, still considered new to Taurus despite serving for over a year, had lagged toward the back of the group as they ran toward the boat. Regardless, Gaius was the one turn around after hopping aboard and reached out when he saw Lin was still running down the dock.

The boat was already in motion, as it should have been considering the time sensitivity of a spying mission. Gaius stepped to the back of the boat and reached out as Lin grabbed ahold of his hand and jumped over the growing gap. The boat shook as he hopped aboard, receiving several dirty looks from the other soldiers who weren't terribly fond of someone so young earning the Dawn King's trust rather quickly.

"You alright?" the commander asked.

"Yeah, fine," Lin replied as he tried to catch his breath.

Gaius seemed a bit bemused at the contrast of young tactician's words and breathlessness. As usual, the conversation didn't last long, but Gaius was never one to waste time or words when more important matters awaited. Gaius turned back to his other men and started issuing orders to the rest of his men. Lin sat down on the wooden bench at the back of the vessel and grabbed his note taking supplies to start mapping out the entrances of the fort they'd searched.

"Good job locating the dam entrance."

"We'll be able to make use of it during the attack," Lin said with a nod.

Gaius' attention was diverted to another of the soldiers when she started asking questions about how soon they would attack. Lin returned to his notes, making the most of the moonlight illuminating the page well enough to write.

It didn't mean anything – not that he expected it to.

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><p>Author's Notes: This is going to be a series of 30 drabbles and I'm aiming for daily updates. They're all going to be on the shorter side, but on the plus side, you get lots of them. I'm challenging myself to make things happen in smaller amounts of words.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Info: **30 Day OTP Challenge Day 2 – "Cuddling Somewhere"

Off Guard

Wingul had the habit of falling asleep very quickly, even if in somewhat uncomfortable conditions. It was most likely largely in part to the fact that he generally only slept for less than a handful of hours per night. It was something that Gaius couldn't really chide him for, as he was no better. He didn't complain or shake the newly renamed fifteen year old back to wakefulness when he nodded off with his head leaning against Gaius' shoulder. They were the only ones riding in the small carriage and there was no point in disturbing him.

The light filtering in through the windows was dyed with the colors of evening. The road they traveled along was rather flat and well kept, allowing the ride to be a smooth one.

The book no longer tightly held in the young man's hands started to slip to the floor. Gaius caught it before it landed loudly on the floor. He glanced at the page that was open, but couldn't bring himself to be terribly interested in information on Rashugal's bioluminescent plants. He put the book aside on the seat and closed his eyes, deciding that there was little point in staying awake when any discussion of strategy or planning was very clearly over for the evening.

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><p>When he woke up to realize that he had fallen asleep sitting up - and leaning against his commander no less - it was his first instinct to straighten and pull away. His first thought was to worry. What if he'd done something like carelessly drool in his sleep when lolling over a senior officer?<p>

However, it only took a second even for his sleep addled mind to realize that there was a weight gently resting atop his head.

Gaius' arms were loosely crossed and his chin rested on top of Wingul's head. He glanced up as much as he could without stirring, but he could tell from the relaxed pace of Gaius' breathing that he was asleep. The sound was oddly relaxing and the closeness was warm enough to make it easy enough to relax.

Too easy, really. There was just something about his presence that was calming, even if there was no justification for being so off guard.

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><p>AN: I wrote this at 3 in the morning! ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧


	3. Chapter 3

**Info: **30 Day OTP Challenge Day 3 – "Gaming"

A King to Lead

There was an air of confidence around the tactician when he took his seat on the dark side of the chess board, but it wasn't particularly different from his usual assurance in his actions. His movements of the black piece about the board didn't seem exceptionally odd or special, which left Gaius feeling fairly suspicious that he was falling into a trap. The first odd thing about Wingul's strategy in the game when he started to move his king at an oddly early point in the game.

"Are you sure about that move?" Gaius asked, speaking before the bottom of the piece connected with the board.

"Completely," he replied, setting it down.

"Do you have a reason for that?" he asked, smirking slightly at the younger general's tone of certainty.

"How can a king expect his subjects to follow if he doesn't lead the way?" Wingul questioned.

"Do you believe that all the strategies of reality correspond to the game?"

Gaius hadn't expected a straight answer and wasn't surprised to receive a cryptic one. Karla was sitting nearby with a history book in her lap and looked over at them quizzically. Every bit of skepticism in her expression showed that she thought the conversation had taken a ridiculous turn.

"Perhaps," Wingul answered, though it was no real confirmation or denial.

"Can you just talk like normal people playing _a game_?" Karla chimed in.

"It's a very strategic game," Gaius said.

"One of the most technical and brilliantly varied," Wingul added.

Karla just shook her head at their matching statements and returned to her book. The match continued and Wingul's moves returned to seeming fairly normal. They were at times aggressive or straightforward, but not as daring as he would have expected. At least – that was what he assumed until the tide very abruptly turned in Wingul's favor. A few moves later, each one more strategically devastating from the last, his fate was sealed.

"Checkmate," Wingul said smugly.

"Well, that was a good match," he said with a nod. "Are you up for a rematch?"

"That means he's sour about losing," Karla said, translating the comment.

"If you're up for being defeated again," Wingul replied.

"Beat him embarrassingly next time," she said with a grin.

Gaius cast his younger sister a tired look while Wingul repositioned his pieces on the board into the proper starting formation. Karla just smiled sweetly in response to her brother's glower and flipped a page in her book. There was a certain calmness about the room when it was just the three of them, even if such calm moments were scarce.

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><p>AN: Baby Karla! X3 I love writing things with her interacting with the boys. I headcanon her as a few years younger than Gaius.


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